ENCW 306: Fall 2018
Posted in Americanah on Oct 25th, 2018
Chimamanda Adiche says that a lot of the American readers of Americanah don’t seem to understand the humor of the story. As an American, I agree with her – I think a lot of what was supposed to be funny went over my head. I was able to pick out things that seemed sardonic, but not […]
Posted in Americanah on Oct 24th, 2018
Barack Obama’s voice rose and fell, his face solemn, and around him the large and resplendent crowd of the hopeful. Ifemelu watched, mesmerized. And there was, at that moment, nothing that was more beautiful to her than America. This quote from page 448 started my reflection about this book because it shows how contradictory a […]
Posted in Americanah on Oct 24th, 2018
The relationship between Obinze and Kosi is complicated, to say the least. It is clear that Obinze cares for his wife, even if he doesn’t love her. He listens to her pleas to reconsider his decision for divorce to an extent, and he has always taken care of her in the years of their marriage. […]
Posted in Americanah on Oct 24th, 2018
One of the many issues regarding immigration that stood out in Chimamanda Adichie’s Americanah was how Ifemelu and Obinze had very different experiences interacting with other African immigrants. Some of Ifemelu’s first interactions with other immigrants were in college. In one of her classes, she met a girl from Kenya who invited her to join […]
Posted in Americanah on Oct 22nd, 2018
Americanah is my favorite work that we have read in class so far. Adichie addresses a multitude of controversial topics in her novel, from racism to suicide, through Ifemelu’s refreshing frankness. Ifemelu does not immediately find her voice and a platform to make herself heard, but, when her blog begins to attract attention, she is […]
Posted in Americanah on Oct 22nd, 2018
Something that Chimamanda Adichie does well is place her readers in the heads of her characters. Adichie doesn’t waste time in the first few chapters of Americanah; she knows who her characters are and the story she wishes to tell. Adichie isn’t afraid to make her readers uncomfortable. She knows her audience and she writes with that […]
Posted in Americanah on Oct 20th, 2018
Interracial love is a topic that is explored in Americanah. Adichie doesn’t shy away from the brutal honesty that still plagues many interracial couples in present day—the idea that one should not date outside of their race and how both members of the relationship must cope with this idea. She isn’t afraid to call attention […]
Posted in Americanah on Oct 17th, 2018
“My full and cool hair would work if I were interviewing to be a backup singer in a jazz band, but I need to look professional for this interview, and professional means straight is best but if it’s going to be curly then it has to be the white kind of curly, loose curls or, […]
Posted in Americanah on Oct 17th, 2018
While re-reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah, I was reminded of a quote from an essay written by Zora Neale Hurston, found in The Best American Essays of the Century by Joyce Carol Oates. In her essay titled “How It Feels to Be Colored Me,” Hurston writes about her first encounters with the idea of race, […]
Posted in Americanah on Oct 17th, 2018
Chimamanda Adichie’s Americanah is a work of fiction that tackles many of the issues immigrants in America face. Many themes emerge throughout the text, including the racism present in current society, love and relationships in a romantic context, and most importantly, personal identity. While all of these topics are relevant and essential components to Americanah, I believe […]